Lin Hwai-min studied ballet and Peking opera movement in Taiwan, modern dance at the Martha Graham School and the Cunningham Studio in New York, and classical court dance in Korea and Japan.  In 1973 he founded Cloud Gate Taipei Contemporary Dance Theatre, the first modern dance company in Taiwan, for which he has choreographed more than fifty works.  As a result of Cloud Gate’s extensive tours in Asia, Europe and the United States, Lin Hwai-min has received critical acclaim from leading international dance critics.

In 1983 Lin Hwai-min was selected to be one of the ten outstanding young persons in the world for his artistic achievement.  In 1983 he founded the Dance Department at the National Institute of the Arts.  He has been the recipient of the most prestigious arts awards in Taiwan.  He is also a critically acclaimed writer, who holds an MFA from the Writer’s Workshop, the University of Iowa.  Cicada, one of his novels, is an all-time best seller.  Several of his works have been translated into English and published in the United States.  He has been a resident artist at the University of California, Los Angeles, and has taught and performed at the American Dance Festival.  In 1990, he was the Fullbright Scholar at the University of New York.

Mr Lin has brought the Cloud Gate Company to perform in Hong Kong many times.  It has been widely accepted by the dance community and the international critical circle that the strong choreographic ability of Lin Hwai-min.